Heroics
by Rlybro
Summary: 'It's what Mr. Stark would've done.' Instead of handing the Gauntlet over to Captain Marvel, Peter uses the gauntlet to end the fight. Peter survives, but suffers from amnesia after the traumatic experiences. In which they get the happy ending they deserved.
1. Chapter 1

Peter was _not_ having a good day. First, he woke up on an abandoned planet with Mr. Stark nowhere to be seen. Then Doctor Strange told him that he'd been dead for the last five years. Five. Whole. Years. Now, he was playing ultimate relay race through a battlefield with a giant make-a-wish-glove. On the upside, he _was_ flying on a Pegasus with a pretty lady in an actual, super cool knight outfit so perhaps it wasn't all that bad.

One of the blue laser beams hit the pile of rubble right next to the Pegasus and it sent Peter flying. The impact of his crash on the ground left him breathless and light-headed, but there was no time for him to rest. Not when half the universe was on the line. The Iron-spider-legs helped Peter up on his feet and pushed him forward. His spider-senses were going off like crazy. Everything around him screamed DANGER! Though Peter didn't need his senses telling him that since it was _very _clear that everything _was_ dangerous, and deadly, and would no doubt lead to an extremely painful death.

Peter managed to dodge another laser beam, which would've been very cool if it wasn't so scary. The alien-monster thingies were still hot on his tail and he could feel them closing in. The memory of those creatures climbing all over him was so distracting that he didn't sense the incoming blast until it was too late. Peter was suddenly blown backward and he lost his grip on the gauntlet.

Somewhere in mid-flight, his mask deactivated. Without the noise-canceling and filter mechanisms of the mask, every single sound from all over the battlefield washed over him at once. Peter gasped for air. Everything was suddenly too loud, too bright. The intense smell of blood, sweat, and something rotten filled his nostrils, making his stomach churn and his head spin. Peter scrambled to get to the gauntlet. His vision was swimming before his eyes, making it hard to see. Peter had just managed to grab the gauntlet when another wave of lasers came blasting down, each laser beam coming closer than the last. Peter had no way of escape. Hell, he couldn't even stand now that his legs have practically turned into jelly.

_Oh God_, Peter thought. _Is this how it's going to end? Am I going to be a pile of burning ash or pieces of alien dinner by the time someone finds me? _Peter clutched the gauntlet closer to his chest and tried to even his breathing. He had to calm down, he'd just be another liability to the team otherwise. But Peter flinched at every blast that came just too close for comfort and every battle cry left his ears ringing. All those people were out there doing their best to defend the universe and he was just sitting there, holding on to the one thing that could end this war.

_What would Mr. Stark do? _

The question flashed through his mind. It was something he'd been asking himself a lot lately. Peter took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _Mr. Stark, _he thought, trying to put himself in the other man's shoes. H_e'd… he'd bring the gauntlet to the portal, where it would be safe from Thanos. _But even without the Infinity Stones, the battle would continue. The spaceships would still fire their lasers and those alien beasts would keep on destroying everything in their path. Everyone would still be suffering. Peter didn't want that, he just wanted the battle to end. _There must be a way to do it. _The moment the thought crossed his mind, the gauntlet seemed to respond. Peter looked down and everything suddenly fell away. His senses stopped reacting to the abundance of stimuli around him and a wave of serenity washed over him. For the first time since the spider bite, Peter felt completely at ease. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the gauntlet. It was hypnotizing, luring him in by speaking to him in a way Peter didn't think was possible. It promised him a way to end the war in less than a second, a way to end the suffering. There was only a small price to pay, the smallest, in exchange for a power that could set off the next big bang. He just needed to slip his hand into the gauntlet.

Peter sat up slowly and laid the gauntlet on his lap. He hesitated to put it on. A part of him was screaming that this was a terrible idea and that he should just let the adults handle it. But another, overwhelmingly reckless and probably stupid part of him told him that it would be the right thing to do. He had wanted to become an Avenger to save people, _this_ was the way for him to start pulling his weight. And if something went completely wrong somehow, at least he was the most expendable of the team.

Not willing to waste another moment, Peter stuck his hand in the gauntlet before he could chicken out. The gauntlet was huge, much too large for Peter's hand, which could barely reach each finger sheath. Still, Peter could feel the immense power of the Infinity Stones. Pain shot up his arm and the air was once again knocked out of him. His senses returned at full force, but all of them were hyper fixated on the gauntlet and the power it was radiating off. Peter couldn't move, it was as if he was holding on to a broken electric cord, unable to let go, no matter how much it hurt. At the same time, Peter felt powerful. With the gauntlet on, the universe laid at his feet. He could do anything he set his mind to, though there was only one thing he truly wanted. Peter gritted his teeth and took a shaky breath. All he had to do now was make the wish and snap his fingers- if that was even possible. Perhaps something else would work, clapping maybe? There was only one way to find out. With extreme difficulty, Peter lifted his hands. He was just about to clap his hands together when the spaceship above the battlefield exploded. The aftershock knocked him out of his trance. '_What the fuuuuuuuuu…_' Peter breathed. A few seconds later, a glowing lady landed in front of him. 'Uhm, hi.' Peter croaked. 'I'm P-Peter Parker.' The woman smiled. 'Do you have anything for me, Peter?' She asked. Her eyes shot towards the gauntlet in his hand. Peter's muscles protested as he moved his free hand defensively over the gauntlet. '…No?'

The woman's eyes hardened. 'What did you do?'

'N-nothing', Peter replied weakly. 'Not yet.' He was panting now. _Has breathing always been this hard?_ 'It's the only way.' He told her. The lady took a step toward him and Peter pressed his back further against the pile of rubble. 'Peter,' she said slowly, 'don't be a hero. Give it to me.'

'N-no', Peter gritted. His breaths were getting shorter and his head was spinning. Dark splotches appeared in his vision. He was running out of time. If he wanted to use the gauntlet, he had to do it now. ' 've gotta', he slurred, repositioning his hands. It was getting harder to make out the words he wanted to say. ' 'mnavenger now. 'sides, tis wha mista Stark woulda done.' The lady lunged forward to grab the gauntlet, but it was too late. Peter had already clapped his hands together. He smiled, then there was only pain.

The battle was worse than any other battle Tony had ever faced. They'd already lost so much trying to bring back half the universe, surely they deserved a break. 'On your six', Friday warned. Tony spun around and took down the troop of feral aliens. 'Thanks, Fri.' Things were finally looking up now that Danvers had arrived. Without the spaceship firing at them from above, they could finally start clearing a path to the portal. Tony would make sure that crazy Titan would not get his grabby hands on the Infinity Stones, no matter what.

'Boss, two more troops are approaching rapidly', FRIDAY informed him.

'Lock onto the targets', Tony said. 'Optimize blast radius.'

'Targets locked', Friday said. 'Firing in three, two, on- Error. I have lost visuals on the targets.'

Tony couldn't believe it, Thanos' troops were disappearing right before his eyes, turning to dust and fading away just like half the universe had five years ago. For a moment, Tony panicked. Had Thanos gotten ahold of the Gauntlet? But as time passed, the battle died down and it became clear that only the invading aliens had been wiped out. _What the Hell just happened?_

'The Titan just turned to dust', Thor said over the comms. 'I saw it with my own eyes.'

'What's going on?' Steve interjected. 'Who did this? Stark?'

'..No, not me', Tony said slowly. 'I'm just as confused as you.'

'So, that's it?' Sam asked. 'We won?'

'Yeah,' Tony said. 'I guess you-' An incoming alert cut him off. 'Sir, Peter Parker's vitals seemed to be dropping dangerously.' Tony froze. _No. nonononononononono. _'Where is he?' Tony demanded.

'Calculating fastest route-'

'Tony?' Pepper asked. 'Tony, what's wrong.'

'I-I-' Tony was having a hard time getting the words out. The suit was on autopilot, shooting off toward the source of Peter's signal. Tony couldn't think a single coherent thought even though his mind was racing at a thousand miles a second. His gut filled with dread when he pictured Peter with the Gauntlet. God, he was going to be sick.

'_Tony._' Pepper's insistent voice pulled him out of his downward spiral. 'Tony, talk to me. What's going on?'

'It's Peter', Tony choked out. 'H-he's the one who snapped.' Tony heard gasps and confused noises over the comms. 'I'm almost there', Tony said shortly. 'Send a medic over, _now!'_ He shut off the comms then, no longer able to stand the flow of questions he had no answer to. He could make out the colors of Peter's suit in the distance now. Someone else was with him, but neither of them was moving. _Not good._

Tony sent a drone above his location just before he landed in front of Peter and Carol, who laid just a few feet away. Tony rushed over to Peter's side first. The boy was curled in upon himself, quietly sobbing and clutching the giant gauntlet tightly against him. Tony's heart broke at the sight. A sense of shame washed over him. What kind of hero was he, letting a kid sacrifice himself. 'Friday', Tony said. 'Vitals.' Now wasn't the time to beat himself up over his mistakes, he had to save Peter first.

'His heart rate is dropping', Friday informed him. '55 bpm and dropping. His respiratory and oxygen rates are low. His temperature is 109 degree and rising. The right arm seems to have suffered a severe burn, it requires immediate treatment.' Tony cursed. 'What's the best course of action?' He asked. 'There's a huge amount of radiation coming off the gauntlet', FRIDAY said. 'It would be advised to remove it from Mr. Parker's vicinity and ready treatments for potential radiation poisoning. Although it is unknown how Mr. Parker's body will react to the radiation due to his mutations.'

_Take the gauntlet, get him to a med lab. Got it. _Now Tony knew what he had to do, he finally looked over at Carol. 'Danvers?' He called. The woman didn't move. 'Hey Cap!' Dammit, she wasn't responding. Tony couldn't leave Peter's side to check on her, not when he was still holding onto that damned gauntlet like a lifeline. 'Danvers!' Tony tried again. She groaned. _Good_. 'I feel like I've been hit by a truck', she mumbled, slowly sitting up. 'Or an asteroid.'

Now that Tony knew she wasn't dead or dying, he returned his focus on Peter. Peter's sobbing had turned into soft whimpering. It was a terrible sound. Tony dropped his mask. Radiation exposure be damned. 'Hey, Peter', he said as gently as he could. 'Can you hear me?' Peter's whimpering stopped. 'Peter?'

'M-Mr. Stark?' Peter asked weakly. He looked up. His eyes were dull, glazed over and filled with tears. Tony hated it.

'Yeah, Pete', Tony said, trying to put on a brave face for the kid. 'The one and only.' He took a deep breath to and tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. 'Peter I need you to let go of the gauntlet now, can you do that for me?'

'Gau-NO!' Peter clutched the gauntlet tighter against his chest and choked out a cry of pain. Those who had arrived at the scene were gathering around them. Some were fussing over Carol, who waved them away. Tony shot them a glare, if they couldn't help, they needed to keep quiet and back off. Getting that gauntlet away from Peter was his first priority, he didn't need any onlookers.

'Peter _please'_, Tony tried again 'Let it go.'

'N-no…' Peter muttered. 'The monsters…I need … it.'

'Monsters?' Tony asked. 'The aliens? No, they're gone now, Peter. You did it, we won.'

'I-I did?'

'Yes Peter, you did really well.' Tony couldn't help the way his voice broke. 'Now please let go, I don't want to hurt you.'

'It hurts.' Peter said.

'I know', Tony said. 'I'm going to make it all better, Okay? Just let go.'

'Promise?' Peter asked.

'Promise.'

'mkay' Peter mumbled, and he finally let go. Immediately, Peter's entire body relaxed. Tony took the gauntlet away from Peter as fast as he could without hurting the boy. He looked back at the group of Avengers behind him and made and stood up. Peter made a small protesting sound as he walked toward Banner. 'Get it away', Tony said as he handed over the gauntlet. He hurried back to Peter. 'It's radioactive', Tony added as an afterthought. He heard some cussing behind him, followed by some shuffling.

Tony knelt back down next to Peter and placed a hand on his cheek. Peter inhaled sharply at the touch but then leaned in towards it. He was looking worse by the second. Tony knew he was running out of time. He had to get Peter to a med lab and he had to do it _now. _But most of his labs had been closed or abandoned after the snap. There had only been one lab left that was suitable for treating superhumans and he currently standing in the ruins of it. He was fresh out of options.

'_Fuck!_' Tony shouted. Peter flinched at his outburst. 'It wasn't supposed to end like this', he whispered. The tears that he had been holding back slid down his cheeks. 'I just got you back.'

' 'm so tired Mr. Stark', Peter mumbled as he eyes started to droop.

'Hey, no.' Tony gave the boy a gentle nudge. 'No, none of that. Stay with me Pete-'

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked up. Rhodey and Pepper were standing behind him. Tony could see by the look in their eyes that they had already given up hope. Rhodey opened his mouth to speak but Tony cut him off before he could say a word. 'No', he said firmly. 'It's not over yet. There has to be _something_, I just- just have to figure out what.'

'Why are you all still standing here?' A new voice called out. 'We have to get him to Wakanda _now.'_ Tony could see a girl pushing her way through the crowd, he recognized her as Shuri, the princess of Wakanda. She stopped short on Peter's other side and inspected him with a critical eye. 'My people can heal him', she said, looking Tony right in the eye. 'Him and the blonde. But we must hurry.' Maybe it was the certainty in her voice or the way she held herself. Either way, Tony believed her without a doubt. She was his only hope at saving Peter now.

'Where the _Hell_ is Strange?' Tony grittedas he looked around. It had practically been a wizard convention here earlier but now that he needed one of those mystic bastards there was no one around. 'I am here', Strange said, stepping out of a portal. The two of them exchanged a look. 'I will create the portal to Wakanda, but the location will not be precise if I do not know where I have to be.'

'Let me.' Wanda stepped out of the crowd and placed a hand on both Shuri and Strange's foreheads. 'Show me', she told Shuri. Her hands flashed red and a second later Strange nodded. 'I know where to go', he said. 'Get the boy.'

The others stepped back to give Tony some space. 'Peter?' He said gently. 'I'm going to pick you up now, okay? It may hurt a bit.' Peter gave a weak hum in response. He was losing consciousness. That was not a good sign. Tony shifted his arms under Peter's neck and legs and lifted. A sharp pain shot through his back and he staggered forward. Peter groaned at the sudden movements as Steve and Thor stepped forward to help. Tony shook his head and gritted his teeth, his suit shifting to offer extra support. The last five years have not made him any younger, but Peter was his kid and he'd be damned if he wasn't the one to carry him to safety.

'Keep talking to him', Strange instructed from the side as he made the hand gesture to make a portal. 'Keep him awake.'

'Kid, you heard that?' Tony said. 'Just stay with me a little longer.' Peter grunted and made a sound that vaguely sounded like 'tired'. A portal had now appeared in front of Strange. Tony could see the white walls on the other side of the portal. Shuri stepped through first, rushing off to call the doctors.

'You're doing a great job, Peter', Tony continued. He could see T'Challa and Thor urging Carol to step through the portal. 'It's going to be all right, I promised, didn't I?' He walked over to the portal as quickly as he could without rocking Peter too much. 'The doctors are going to fix you right up and then you'll get to meet Morgan. She's been looking forward to meeting you, you know. You're going to be her big brother.'

' –rother?' Peter slurred.

'Yeah', Tony said, stepping through the portal. 'She's a smart kid, you'll love her.' The doctors were rushing toward them with a stretcher now. 'Keep on fighting for me, will you? Don't give up.' Tony laid Peter down on the stretcher as gently as he could. 'I love you.'

'…Love you…too', Peter said slowly. ' 'm sorry.' The words knocked the air out of Tony lungs. He wanted to say something, anything, but the doctors had already rushed Peter through a pair of white doors. Peter was out of his reach again, leaving him behind with his thoughts and those two damned words repeating in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

The video recording of Peter's suit had been playing on a loop for a while now. Tony watched as Peter was thrown off the Pegasus and dodged the laser blasts raining down from above. Tony's heart clenched at the small yelp Peter let out before the screen went black. He knew he was only tormenting himself by watching the footage. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off the screen as Peter once again activated Instant Kill right before he was overrun by aliens.

Tony had allowed a doctor to check on him some time ago at T'Challa's insistence. The king himself had guided him to a guest room after he'd been cleared. And while every single fiber of his being was telling him to go back to the medical wing the moment he was left alone, he knew it would be pointless. He had already sent them Peter's entire medical file, there was nothing left for him to do but wait. Tony cursed, he hated this helpless feeling. What did it matter that he had all the money and tech in the world if he couldn't even use it to help his kid?

Tony had accepted a long time ago that the universe was unfair and probably out to get him, but right now it was being downright cruel. For Peter, he'd brought back half the universe. But now that everyone was back and reunited with their friends and family, Peter was being ripped away from him again. Tony would have laughed at the irony if it didn't hurt so damn much.

An alert from FRIDAY interrupted Tony's thoughts. 'You have an incoming call, boss', she said.

'I don't care', Tony replied.

'It's Happy Hogan, sir', FRIDAY 'Shall I hang up?'

Tony sighed. 'No, put him through.'

Happy's face replaced the footage of Peter a moment later. 'Hey, Tony! What the hell is going on?' Happy asked. 'I'm outside of the car park now and it's a total mess out here, no joke. People suddenly appeared out of nowhere, traffic's blocked up by accidents, people are crying in the streets, and others are saying that the aliens are invading New York again!' Happy turned the camera so Tony could see the chaos on the streets. 'I'm so confuse- hey, are you all right? You look terrible.'

Tony almost snorted at Happy's bluntness. 'Thanks.' He said. Tony knew he looked terrible. He was still wearing his under armor and he was completely covered in dust. He was tired, mentally and physically. It must've shown on his face.

Happy switched the camera again and Tony was met with his frown. 'What happened?'

'It's- I don't-' Tony let out a shaky breath and tried again. 'It's the kid.' He said.

'Peter? He's back?' Happy asked in disbelieve. A smile broke on Happy's face. 'Does this mean that everyone is back? You guys saved half the universe?' Happy paused suddenly. 'Wait, you're not- you said Peter, what did he do? How bad is it?'

Tony ran a hand through his hair. 'I don't know if he's going to make it.' Tony answered honestly. It was a thought that he hadn't dared to speak out loud before.

'Jesus Christ', Happy breathed . ' Okay, where are you? I'm coming.'

'Wakanda', Tony told him. 'I'm at the palace with the rest of the team.'

Happy looked taken aback. 'Wakanda? Why the hell are you- never mind. I'll be there in six hours.'

'You can take the jet', Tony said. 'Pepper, she-'

'Is she with you?' Happy asked.

'No', Tony said. 'She's in New York with her parents.' She'd stayed behind to check on Morgan. And while Tony was desperate to have his wife and daughter with him, it was clear that Morgan would have to stay with her grandparents a while longer until everything calmed down. 'Pepper will explain everything.'

'Is there anything else I can do?' Happy asked. 'Anything you need?' He's such a mother hen , Tony thought.

Tony sighed. 'Yeah, May. She- she deserves to know. Can you bring her along?'

'Yeah, of course.' Happy said. 'I'll try to break it to her gently.' Tony knew he was a being coward for leaving the explaining to Pepper instead of breaking the news to May himself. But he'd promised May that he'd protect Peter. And now that he'd failed, he didn't know how he could face her again.

'And Tony?' Happy said. His voice had taken on a gentler tone. 'Take care of yourself, okay? Peter will pull through, I'm sure of it. He's not one to give up.' He'd hung up then. The recording started playing again, filling the silent room with blasts and Peter's cries once more. I should take a shower , Tony thought. He'd feel better after he'd washed away the dirt and turned off the recordings. He lied down on the bed. I'll do it in a moment.

.

.

.

The door of Tony's room opened. Light poured in from the hallway, illuminating the dark room. 'Tony?' Rhodey called hesitantly from the doorway. Tony heard him enter the room, but did not take his eyes off the ceiling. The footsteps came closer and halted near where Tony presumes must've been the hologram. 'Jesus , is this what you've been doing the whole time?' Rhodey asked. Tony didn't bother answering. 'FRIDAY, turn it off', Rhodey commanded. The audio stopped. Tony heard Rhodey approach the bed, he could feel his best friend's eyes on him. Tony pointedly ignored him. Rhodey sighed. 'C'mon, let's get you cleaned up.' He reached out to help Tony up, but Tony slapped his hand away. 'I'm fine', he grumbled.

'No, you're not.' Rhodey said. He slid an arm beneath Tony's neck and forced him to sit up. 'Go have a shower, you reek.'

'Give me a moment', Tony said, having no intention of actually getting up.

'Tony ,' Rhodey warned. 'I've sponge bathed you before, don't think I won't do it again.'

'I can take care of myself', Tony grumbled. But he didn't resist when Rhodey helped him stand up.

'Not when you're like this, you can't', Rhodey said. 'But it's okay, that's what I'm here for. At least you're not hungover this time.' He added as an afterthought.

'I wish I was', Tony muttered against Rhodey's shoulder.

'No, you don't. Now come on.'

Rhodey practically dragged Tony to the bathroom and helped him out of his clothes. He even turned on the water before he sat down on the toilet and motioned to Tony to get on with it. 'You know,' Tony said as he inspected a bottle of what he assumed was shampoo, 'I'm am perfectly capable of taking a shower without you watching.'

Rhodey huffed a laugh. 'You're an old man now, someone's gotta keep an eye on you and make sure you don't slip and fall in the shower.'

'Ouch, that hurts, you know?' Tony said. But he was grateful that Rhodey knew him well enough not to try and talk to him about Peter. At this point, Tony was pretty certain that he'd break down or start screaming if anyone even tried to console him again.

Tony stuck a hand past the glass panel when he finished. 'Towel.'

Rhodey sighed but a towel was dumped in Tony's hand a moment later. 'T'Challa said something about fresh clothes in the drawer under the sink.' Rhodey told him, walking over to the door. 'I'm sure you'll be able to find something that fits.' He stepped out of the bathroom and left Tony to dress.

There was indeed clothing laid out in the dresser. Tony pulled a typical Wakandan cotton shirt over his head. The clothes were nice and fit perfectly, though he did have to wear women's pants since Wakandan men were apparently much taller than him. When he stepped out of the bathroom, Rhodey was waiting in one of the armchairs. He'd also pulled open the curtains. With the sunlight streaming in and the view over the entire city, the room appeared much less depressing.

'Thanks for your help', Tony said curtly when he walked passed. 'But I'm fine now, so go bother someone else.' He flopped face-first onto the bed. 'Close the door on your way out.'

'Oh no, nope. Get up', Rhodey chastised. 'You can't stay cooped up here forever, you're coming with me. They prepared food for all of us in the dining hall. You have to eat.'

'Not hungry.' Tony muttered against the covers. He didn't have the energy to deal with other people right now.

'Tony', Rhodey said sternly. 'We're not doing this again. We're not young anymore. We both have responsibilities we cannot ignore. Even if you don't give a shit about the world right now, your kids need you to be there for them. You won't be able to help if you're wasting away.'

Tony sat up slowly and turned to look at his friend. 'Why', he said. 'do you always have to make so much sense? It's incredibly annoying.'

'It's my superpower', Rhodey answered. 'You guys may be geniuses or have super strength, but I have common sense and take no bullshit.'

Tony grunted in annoyance as he dragged himself towards the door.

'Whatever, Mr. No Bullshit, let's go.'

.

.

.

.

Rhodey led the way to the dining hall. They walked down the hallway, the windows reached from the floor to the ceiling and the walls were decorated with pieces that Tony assumed was Wakandan art. Tony decided that it was a lot nicer than those stuffy European palaces he'd visited. When they finally arrived at the dining hall, there were guards stationed in front of the door, but they let them enter without a word.

The dining hall was large and spacious, much like the rest of the palace. The long dining table functioned as a buffet, with piles of food and delicacies enough to feed a hoard of supersoldiers. Most of the Avengers had gathered in the dining hall, they were eating and talking among themselves. But the moment Tony and Rhodey walked in, their conversations died down and the atmosphere tensed. Fine , Tony thought. He wasn't in the mood for chitchat anyway. Tony walked over to the table and grabbed something that vaguely resembled a cinnamon roll before he stalked over to the window. The conversations picked up hesitantly after a while, though Tony could still feel the worried stares of his teammates on him. He looked out the window. The city was filled with colorful flags and if Tony squinted, he could make out large groups of people gathered around in different parts of the city. It seemed as if they were preparing for some festive celebration. The view made Tony scowl despite himself. He should be happy for the rest of the world. The Avengers had brought back half the universe and restored the balance for them. The people deserved to celebrate this victory, even though it did not feel like one to Tony at all.

Someone came to stand next to him. Tony looked up and saw T'Challa holding out a plate with food. 'The people are setting up the preparations for ubusuku yoloyiso ', he told Tony, who shook his head at the offered food. 'It means 'the night of the victory'', T'Challa continued, popping a berry in his mouth. 'It's an ancient Wakandan tradition, though I have never actually participated in one this large before. We're a covert country, we didn't fight any battles outside our own lands. Tonight, we mourn those we have lost and pray for those who are still fighting their personal battles. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the start of a new beginning. You're welcome to join the festivities if you want, this is a commemoration meant to celebrate all the warriors who have fought for our freedom.'

'No thanks', Tony declined. 'I don't feel up for a party yet. Besides, it's not as if I've done anything worth celebrating.'

'Don't say that.' Bruce said, walking up to them with a concerned frown. 'Those people out there wouldn't be here at all if you hadn't found a way for us to travel back in time. You invented time travel , Tony. That's a hell of a feat if you ask me.'

Tony scoffed. 'Yeah, and then we managed to fuck up the timelines so badly that Thanos number two almost killed off half the universe again.' Tony's voice rang through the dining hall. The entire room had quieted down to listen at this point. 'And if it wasn't enough, apparently, we were doing so poorly that a fucking sixteen-year-old had to sacrifice himself to save our asses!'

'Peter made his choice', Carol said calmly, standing up from the table. 'There's nothing we can do about it now.' Anger rose up within Tony at her comment. 'And you!' He cried as he stalked over to her. 'We all saw you tear apart a whole spaceship with your bare hands, and now you're telling me you couldn't even take a goddamn glove from a kid?'

'He had already almost clapped his hands before I arrived', Carol said, glaring down coolly at him. 'He was determined to do it, nothing could have changed that. You need to respect his choice.'

'Like hell I will!' Tony gritted. 'It was never his job to save the universe! He's just a kid, he shouldn't have had to make the choice in the first place!' Steve stepped in and tried to play peacemaker between the two of them but both Tony and Carol were not backing down from a fight. Tony knew he was being petty by projecting his anger onto his friends and laying the blame with them, but then again, he'd never been one for healthy coping mechanisms so why should he start now?

'Listen, Stark,' Carol said, 'I tried to talk him out of it. I told him not to be a hero. You want to know what he said? He told me that he had to because he was an Avenger. But more importantly, because it's what you would have done.'

Fuck . Of course that would've been Peter's reasoning. And even though Tony had told him time and time again that he should not , under any circumstances, do whatever Tony would do, the kid had gone and done it anyway. But before Tony could go off on a rant about how she should've just grabbed the thing and gone instead of being misled by Peter's pretty words, he saw Strange enter the dining hall. One glance at the serious look on the man's face made a memory of the battle resurface. Suddenly, Tony was filled with newfound rage. ' You.' He growled, shoving past Steve and Carol to get to Strange. Tony grabbed the man by the collar and shoved him against the nearest wall. The guards, the Dora M-whatever immediately jumped into action with their spears raised and pointed at him. Tony paid them no heed. ' You bastard!' He growled at Strange. 'You knew that he was going to snap. That's why you refused to tell me what was going to happen.'

Strange remained annoyingly calm. 'No.' He said. 'I didn't know that it would happen. Peter shouldn't have used the gauntlet.'

'Then what did you see,' Tony snapped. 'Weren't you supposed to know it all? That's what you've been telling all of us since the beginning.'

Strange kept quite, which only pissed Tony off more. 'It was supposed to be you', Strange said at last. Tony's resolve broke at those words. He let go of his grip on Strange and slid down against the wall. 'You should've been the one to snap', Strange continued. 'You were supposed to die to save us all.'

'I know ', Tony groaned. 'I knew from the start that it would be me. Everything was done , I was ready to go.'

'Tony…' Tony almost laughed at the shocked and concerned looks on his teammates' faces. Almost. Instead, he looked up at Strange and asked, 'Why didn't it happen?'

The wizard grimaced. 'That's what I wanted to know as well', he confessed. 'I took the Time Stone from the gauntlet and I've spent some time looking through all- well some of the infinite timelines. Half a billion, to be precise. The chances of us winning were about one in twenty million. And every time, it was either you or Peter who took the gauntlet to win the war. All except once, when a red-clad lunatic with a hello-kitty watch took the gauntlet. But that was the only exception.' Strange paused. 'Anyway, my point is, that I- that I was-' He seemed to have a hard time getting the words out.

Tony growled in annoyance. 'Spit it out already!'

'I was wrong.' Strange admitted reluctantly. 'To a certain extent at least. I did not have the time to see all the possible outcomes when we were on Titan. So I took the first positive outcome and did what I could to make it our reality.'

Tony sighed. 'But now that you've seen more realities', Tony said. 'I just want to know, is he going to make it?'

'I don't know.' Strange answered. 'In some universes he does, and others…'

'You must know something .' Tony pressed. 'Anything.'

'The differences between the timelines where small', Strange told him. 'Most timelines only split after Peter arrived in Wakanda. I do not know which one we live in.'

Tony gave up. There was no point in trying to find answers through Strange anymore, all he could do was hope that they lived in a timeline where Peter survived. Tony didn't know what he would do if they didn't.

'Stark.' T'Challa called suddenly. Tony looked up slowly, the king stood in front of him with a hologram coming from his bracelet. 'The doctors have stabilized Peter Parker's condition. You can go see him now.'

Tony scrambled to his feet and hastily followed T'Challa to the medical wing. A doctor was waiting for them upon arrival and led them to Peter's room. Or so Tony thought. Instead of a hospital room, Tony and T'Challa were brought to a small dark room that reminded Tony of an interrogation room. There was a window in one of the walls which looked into another, quarantined room where Peter laid on a hospital bed, hooked onto a plethora of machines. 'The boy is too radioactive to approach without proper precaution.' The doctor informed them. 'We had to put on protective gear to continue the treatments when we discovered the amount of Sievert that was radiating off the boy.'

'What about his conditions?' Tony asked. His heart was hammering in his chest. He needed some answers.

'The list of injuries is quite long', the doctor said. 'His most prominent injuries were his arms, where pretty much all the skin, muscle, and nerve tissues have been destroyed up to his neck and even parts of his torso. Most of his ribs were cracked, the splinters of which have caused damage to his internal organs.' Tony felt sick, but he motioned for the doctor to continue when he paused. 'Mister Parker also seemed to have taken a couple of worrisome hits to the head. But when we started our preparations to stop the internal bleeding, we discovered that his healing factor had already kicked in and is doing its best to keep the body alive. It was burning through its vat reserves much faster than it has previously been recorded in order to keep up with his enhanced metabolism. The best we could do for him was to hook him up to supplementary nutrition to support the healing process and set his bones so they will heal properly.' The doctor gave them a moment for it all to sink in. 'While Mr. Parker's condition is stable, we do not know how long it will take for his healing factor to fully repair all the damages. We can only continue further treatments when he wakes up, but with the results from the brain scan, we do not know when that will be.'

It took Tony longer than he should have to understand the implications of the doctor's words. 'Are you saying that-'

'Unfortunately, yes.' The doctor said. 'It appears that Mr. Parker is currently in a coma.' It was as if a rug was pulled out from under Tony. While it was certainly good news that Peter was not dying, the thought of him being in a coma without the certainty that he will ever wake up didn't seem much better. 'We will notify you if Mr. Parker's condition changes.' The doctor said. Tony was too shocked to speak, but T'Challa thanked the doctor and dismissed him with a nod.

'Tony,' T'Challa started after the doctor left the room, but Tony cut him off. 'Wait, please I- I have to process this for a moment.' T'Challa nodded gravely. 'I understand.' He said. 'I'll give you some time alone. But please remember that we are all here for you in these difficult times, my friend.' T'Challa left after that, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts in the dark room. He stepped closer to the window, looking at Peter's frail body lying in the middle of the white, sterilized room. Tears rolled down his cheeks as Tony placed a hand on the glass separating the two of them.

.

.

.

Tony lost track of time after a while. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but it was long enough for a nurse to take pity on him and bring in a chair and leave some food on the table.

Tony's phone buzzed with an incoming message, breaking the silence. Then it buzzed again and again until Tony couldn't stand it anymore and picked the damn thing up from the table. He was about to switch it off when he saw that it was Harley who had been texting him. With a sigh, he opened the app to view the texts.

Harley: Hey Tony

Harley: Ur probs busy but my ma just called?

Harley: And everyone else just started blipping outta nowhere?

Harley: I dunno what happened but I'm pretty sure you had something to do with it?

Harley: so I just wanna say thank you

Tony couldn't help but smile at the messages. He'd pretty much adopted the kid after he'd shown up in New York five years ago, demanding answers about the disappearance of his mom and sister. Though it had been a while since Tiny had last seen the kid after he'd left for college.

Tony: You're welcome kid.

Tony: Where are you now?

Harley: Jumped on the first bus back home. I'll be there in 10hrs

Harley: But I wanna know what happened.

Harley: The news is being rly vague.

Tony: sorry kid, that's classified.

Tony: you'll just have to wait for the press release like everyone else.

Harley: ugh.

Harley: fine.

Harley: Keep your secrets.

Tony: Have a safe trip home, kiddo.

Tony: Call me if you need anything.

Harley: Yeah, yeah.

Harley: Say hi to pep and Morgan for me.

Tony: Will do .

Tony put the phone down on the table. The feeling of normalcy and happiness he got from texting Harley disappeared the moment he looked up. Tony didn't even get a moment to recover from his emotional turmoil because someone knocked on the door and a moment later Steve poked his head into the room. 'Hey', he said. Tony turned his back on him and wiped away his tears.

'I know this may not be the right time,' Steve continued, 'but I didn't want to leave before I could talk to you.' Leave? Tony thought. ' Tomorrow, I'll be taking the stones back to their own timeline. I just want to say thank you, for everything you've done for me and the team. And I'm sorry for how things turned out between us.'

This doesn't sound right. Tony thought. He spun around to face Steve. 'Why does this sound like a farewell? You're just dropping the stones off, you'll be back in-' Oh. Everything suddenly clicked together. 'You'd better not be planning what I think you're planning', Tony told him.

'I'm not.' Steve said and Tony knew that he was right. Steve had always been a bad liar, the truth was written clearly on his face.

'Don't give me that bullshit, Steve', Tony said. 'I know you're not planning on coming back.' Steven kept silent. 'You don't get to do that to her, Steve', Tony snarled. Anger and frustration rose up within him as he raised an accusative finger at him. 'She moved on, Steve. Why can't you get that through that thick skull of yours? She accepted that you were gone lived her life without you. She found herself a loving husband and started a nice little family with wonderful children. Hell, I even babysat them once!' Tony growled at Steve's raised eyebrows. 'No, it did not end well and no , you don't get to know more about that because that's not the point . The point is that she was happy with the life she had and you don't get to fuck it all up just because you're feeling selfish. You may have known her for a couple of months during the war, but I've known her my whole life and if aunt Pegs were here, she'd smack you on the head and tell you to get your shit together.'

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but Tony cut him off. 'And what about Bucky?' Tony asked. The look in Steve's eyes darkened. 'After everything you've risked. You tore the team, our family , apart for him and now you're just going to leave him behind while you live out a long a happy life with someone else? What was that phrase you two had again, ' Till the end of the line' ?'

'Don't', Steve growled dangerously

'Is this the end?' Tony asked, looking Steve dead in the eyes. 'After everything you've been through together, is this where you draw the line? You know what I think, Steve? I think that you're a coward . You'd rather settle with someone you know will welcome you with open arms than take your chance with someone who's been there for you since the beginning. Oh, don't give me that look . We all know that you have the hots for mister tall, dark, and mysterious. You're an open book, Steve.' Tony took a deep breath to calm himself. 'Give me one good reason why you thought this would be a good idea because I honestly can't think of a single one.' The two of them held each other's stares until Steve finally broke and looked away. He sighed. 'I just can't do it anymore', Steve said. 'I know that I said that I couldn't see myself settling down and live an easy life. But after everything we've been through, all the battles we've faced, I'm just so tired of fighting.' He paused, Tony waited for him to continue.

'You and Clint have found a nice place for your families and Thor and his people have made New Asgard their home. Don't I get to settle down as well? If I stay, I'll always have to be Captain America. There will always be more villains. People will expect me to throw myself at them the moment they show up but I don't know how much longer I will be able to fight on the frontline. I joined the war to help people, and it's something I still want to do, just not like this. We're no longer dealing with human fascists with their armies and tanks, we're dealing with alien invasions. Aliens . It makes me miss the days when my only worries were putting food on the table and fighting bullies in the back alleys.' He sighed. 'I've served my time. I want out. So my only two options are either space or the past, and I've dealt with enough aliens for a lifetime.'

Tony glared at the man and mentally screamed at his idiocy and flair for dramatics. ' God Dammit Steve! If you want to quit, then quit! No one besides us knows what the fuck just happened. We can just tell the world that you died a heroic death on the battlefield and then you'll be free to do whatever you want . Just grow another beard and change your name! Buy yourself a house with a yard and a white picket fence and live the American freaking dream with your buddy for all I care. You don't need to change an entire timeline just to retire!' Steve had the audacity to look surprised at Tony's suggestion as if he hadn't even considered the option. Tony could almost feel a vein pop. He sighed, he needed to mind his heart. It has been a stressful day. 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but don't do anything rash. Sleep on it. And don't think that I won't haul your ass back from the past if you try to fuck up any timeline.'

Steve nodded. 'Roger that.' He left the room with a small smile on his face.

.

.

.

Tony stayed with Peter in the room, only leaving to go to the restroom before settling himself back into the same hard plastic chair. Like clockwork, a nurse in a hazmat suit would enter the quarantine every half an hour and replace the IV drip to keep up with Peter's enhanced metabolism. Tony had lost count how many times the nurses had come and go. Not that he was paying much attention to it in the first place.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Tony was up on his feet in an instant, his repulsor ready. He immediately lowered the weapon when he saw that it was May who had rushed into the room. Her clothes were disheveled and stands of her hair were sticking up in odd angles. Her eyes were red, swollen, with matching tear stains on her cheeks. She looked the worse for wear, though Tony knew he didn't look much better himself. Their eyes met for a second before her gaze drifted to the glass window.

' Oh God' , She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. 'No, no, Peter, my baby.' Tony saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

She spun around, her eyes wide and questioning. 'Why is he in there?' She asked. 'Why can't we get to him?'

'He's radioactive', Tony told her calmly. The shame crawled up his skin. He couldn't look her in the eye. 'It's too dangerous for us to go near him.'

'He's what ? Oh, God. How did this happen?'

Tony took a deep breath to prepare himself for the conversation. 'I don't know how much Pepper told you already,' he said as calmly as he could, 'but Peter, he- he managed to get ahold of the Infinity Gauntlet during the battle. We were transporting it to the quantum tunnel so it would be out of Thanos' reach. Instead of passing it on to someone else, Peter clapped and bend reality to his will. Which, in this case was, to wipe out Thanos' invading army.'

May sat down in the plastic chair. 'Wait, wait. Infinity Gauntlet? Quantum what? Peter bending reality to his will- you're not making any sense!'

'I know it sounds crazy, but that's the truth.'

'It still doesn't explain why Peter is- is lying there like that .' May said.

'Bending reality like that', Tony said. 'It comes at a price. Bruce, the Hulk, he almost lost an arm when he used it to bring everyone back and he's supposed to be indestructible.'

'How is he?' May asked. 'What did the doctors say?'

'The doctors stabilized his condition.' Tony said. 'But… it's not looking good. His enhanced healing factor is working overtime to keep him alive. They don't know when he's going to wake up.'

May burst out in tears again. 'I can't lose him, Stark.' She said. 'After his parent and Ben… He's the only one I have left.' Tony's heart ached. He should say something, anything to try and comfort her, but no words came out of his mouth. After a while, May recomposed herself and took a shaky breath. Her eyes were fierce when she looked up.

'Stark, I've told you from the start that I would only allow you 'mentoring' him if you kept him out of danger', she said. 'I understand now that it's my fault for not stopping him from becoming Spider-Man in the first place. I knew he would bite off more than he could chew. But that doesn't excuse you for dragging him into a war. I know that he's just another pawn in your plans, but he's everything to me. If he doesn't make it, Stark, then I'll never forgive you for it.'

'Neither will I.' Tony said. 'I should have sent him away the moment he showed up on the battlefield. Everything that happened to him next, that's on me. Peter has never 'just been a pawn in my plans'. He's a brilliant kid and an even better person, better than I have ever been or will be. I love him as much as my own daughter.' May seemed a bit taken aback by the mention of him having a daughter, but her eyes hardened again a moment later.

'I don't care what you think your relationship is with Petet ', she said coolly. 'He is my kid.'

The words washed over Tony like a cold bucket of water. She was right. No matter how much he cared about Peter, he was not his. Their relation did not go further than mentor and mentee and it was foolish of him to think that they could be more than that. Tony nodded numbly. 'I'll leave now', he said. 'I've caused enough damage as it is.'

He walked over to the door. He didn't look back as he said, 'I know that it's not going to be worth anything to you, but I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. He deserved better, so much better.' As he closed the door behind him, Tony could hear the sobs coming from inside the room.


	3. Chapter 3

The darkness surrounding him as if he was underwater. Even the voices he heard seemed worlds away. He wanted to reach out to them and he strained to make sense of the jumbled words, but he was tired, and it was weighing him down. He didn't have the energy to fight against it so he let himself be dragged down into the darkness again.

The second time he heard the voices, he could see the light through his eyelids. Though the voices still sounded far away, they seemed to become clearer by the second- minute? Hour? – until he was certain the voices belong to a man and a little girl. By the time the conversation ended he had been able to understand the words and even make out some of the background noises. The door closed with a click and he could hear footsteps disappear in the distance. He heard tiny footsteps walking around the room, the creak of a chair when someone settled in the chair, and the click of their shoes on the ground when they jumped out of it again. The footsteps came closer to the bed he was lying on and he could feel the mattress dip on one side. He wanted to open his eyes to see what the girl was doing, but his eyelids were too heavy for him to lift. He thought about forcing his eyelids open with his fingers, but his entire body felt as if it were made of lead. His limbs refused to listen to his brain, he couldn't lift a single finger or wiggle his toes no matter how hard he tried. It made him wonder whether he even had fingers and toes to move. The girl's voice broke him out of his train of thoughts before they could drive him mad. 'Daddy has to go to work again', she said. For a moment, he thought she was talking to herself before she continued and he realized that she was talking to him. 'But that's okay', she said. 'Mommy says that I'm a big girl now so I'm not sad. And I want to stay here because otherwise you'll be alone. Being alone always makes me sad, so I don't want you to be alone and sad. Daddy says you can sometimes hear me when I talk even when you're asleep, but I don't know what to talk about so maybe you can listen to my movie with me and I'll tell you what they look like. But I'm not actually allowed to use mommy's tablet, so you can't tell her, okay?' She added as an afterthought.

He was surprised when the corner of his mouth twitched at her comment. So he was able to move after all! The girl continued to babble on as he tried to regain control over his muscles with this newfound motivation. She was taking her job as his eyes very seriously, though she did get too caught up in the movie to narrate sometimes. He ended up being pretty invested in the movie himself, though he was clearly not the target audience. He felt a small hand grip his when the main character Twilight Sparkle was being pressured into using her magic to win the Friendships Games. He had to admit, the song did have a pretty creepy undertone.

He wanted to return the grip on his hand, wanted to offer her comfort. It was an odd feeling. He didn't know who the girl was. He didn't even know who he was, but that was something he definitely shouldn't dwell on, not while he was still trapped in his own body. So he tried to move his fingers again, and this time, they moved. Even if it was barely more than a twitch, he still managed to move them! The next attempt was even more successful: he managed to bend the tips of his fingers. He heard a soft gasp. At first, he thought it was just the girl's reaction to the movie, but he was pretty certain that he could somehow feel the girl's eyes on him.

'Peter?' The girl asked hesitantly. Ah, so that's my name. He- Peter- thought. 'Are you awake?' Yes. Peter wanted to say. I'm awake, and I don't know what's going on or who you are and I might freak out but at least the movie you chose is pretty fun. Of course, he couldn't say any of that to her so he tried to fully close his hand around hers. She gasped again. 'You're up!' She squealed. 'You- wait.' She slipped her hand out of his and hopped off the bed. Peter felt himself frowning at the sudden movement. He was slowly regaining control of his facial muscles. The movie stopped suddenly, and Peter realized that she must've put the tablet away. A moment later, the mattress dipped again, and Peter's hands were clasped between two small hands. 'You can do it, Peter!' The girl said encouragingly. 'Wake up!' Peter was not about to let the girl down. He tried to lift his eyelids again, and this time, they did not feel as heavy as before. Peter felt them twitch and slowly he was able to open them. The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with a blinding white light. Pain shot through his head and he snapped his eyes shut again with a groan. Immediately, the girl jumped off the bed and hurried to where Peter assumed was the light switch because the room was darker a moment after he heard a soft 'click'.

'You can open your eyes now.' The girl said as she climbed back onto the bed. 'I made it not so bright anymore.' Peter did. It was much more pleasant without the sharp lights shining into his eyes, though his vision remained blurry. He blinked a few times and waited patiently until his sight focused. When it did, the first thing Peter saw was the little girl beaming down at him with the widest grin on her face. Brown locks fell in front of her bright brown eyes as she bent over Peter. She didn't look older than five and was, Peter thought, objectively speaking the cutest kid ever.

'Hi', She said, still grinning from ear to ear.

Peter tried to reply, but his voice was hoarse from remaining silent for too long. The girl was immediately up on her feet again. This time, it was to race over to the other end of the room. She opened a door leading to the bathroom and Peter could hear the water running a moment later. Peter took the time to look around the room while she was away.

The lights were out, but there was still enough light coming from the closed curtains to light the room. The room itself was not what Peter had been expecting. Instead of a white and sterile room, he woke up in a spacious and calming room. The walls were painted in warm brown colors and covered with artworks. Armchairs surrounded a small round coffee table near the window on his left and there was a purple glittery backpack slung across one of the chairs. The empty cups on the table suggested that there had been other people in the room other than the girl and the man that had left. He was lying in the middle of an incredibly soft king-sized bed instead of a typical hospital bed. It was almost as if he has just woken up in a normal –albeit very luxurious- bedroom instead of a hospital room. The only thing that gave it away were the large machines on the right side of his bed, which were all connected to him through various cables and tubes.

A few of them were connected to his right arm through needles that were stuck into his veins and fingertips. They creeped him out and Peter couldn't stop thinking about them now that he knew they were there. He thought about pulling them out one by one, but just the thought of the possibility of it going wrong and him staining the bed with the blood spraying from his arm stopped him from doing anything rash. Peter was glad for the distraction when the girl returned with a cup of water in her hands. 'Here', she said, holding the cup out to him. He reached out to accept it, but he almost spilled the drink when he realized that he didn't have the strength to hold on to it on his own. Luckily, the girl seemed to realize it at the same time as he did and managed to support the cup before it fell out of his hand.

'I'll help you.' She said gently. She took the cup out of Peter's hand and lifted it to his lips. She stopped when she realized that there was no way for her to help him drink while he was lying down without the water spilling all over his face. Peter tried to help her by sitting up, but his muscles still too weak to support him. She frowned and paused for a moment before she lifted the cup from his lips and half-crawled over to the other side of the bed to place the cup on the nightstand.

When she returned she stood up slowly and stepped one foot over his body, careful not to step on any of the many tubes attached to his right side, so she was towering over him. She hooked her arms beneath Peter's armpits, bent her knees, and lifted. Either the girl must've been stronger than she looked or he was way lighter than he should be because she was able to pull him up enough so he was leaning with his back against the headboard. She even set the pillow up to support his weight. Seeming pleased with her work, she walked over to the nightstand and came back with the cup of water. Peter hadn't noticed how thirsty he was until he drank the whole cup in one go. It was incredibly refreshing. 'Thank you', he said, audible this time, though his voice still sounded a bit rough around the edges.

'You're welcome', the girl said with a proud smile. Peter found himself smiling back at her. 'Hey uhm,' he started hesitantly. How was he supposed to ask this? 'Who are you?' The girl's eyes widened in surprise. Peter worried that he might've hurt her feelings. Please don't cry, he hoped. But luckily the girl didn't seem to think too much of it. 'I'm Morgan!' She said.

Peter mentally let out a sigh of relieve. 'Hey, Morgan.' He smiled.

'Hi.' She answered with a grin.

'Can I ask you a question?'

She nodded.

'Who am I?' Peter asked. Morgan giggled. 'You're Peter, silly. You're my big brother!' Oh, Peter thought. Of course, he had suspected something like that, but now he knew for sure. A pang of guilt went through him. What kind of brother forgets their sister? One that didn't even know his own name, Peter thought grimly. What happened to me?

'How old are you, Morgan?' Peter asked. 'I'm sorry that I don't remember.'

'I'm four and a half', she said proudly, holding up four fingers for him to see. 'And it's okay that you don't remember. Daddy said that you can be confused when you wake up. He said that you were gone for a long time, but now you're back and you can really be my big brother!'

I was gone for a long time? Peter thought. 'Can you tell me more about me?' He asked.

'You're Peter Parker', she told him. 'You're sixteen years old, that's…' She paused for a moment and Peter could see that she was thinking. 'Four times as old as me!' She exclaimed suddenly. Peter was impressed that she was able to calculate that. Most kids her age could barely count up to twenty, let alone multiply numbers. 'You're a superhero like daddy!' She continued. Peter frowned. He was a what? 'You help people! Like old ladies who have to cross the street and kitties stuck in trees, but you also stop bad guys and fight aliens!' Well that escalated quickly. The first part seemed believable, but the second part was probably just make-believe. 'You're also super smart', Morgan told him. 'You help daddy with his suits!' Suits? Maybe their father was a famous fashion designer, that would explain why his 'hospital room' looked so nice. In the end, the conversation only brought up more questions than that it answered them, so Peter decided to just let it slide for a while. 'Do you want to continue the movie?' He asked. 'I want to know what happens to Twilight after she unleashed the magic.'

Morgan's eyes lit up. 'You were really listening to the movie?'

'Yeah', Peter answered. 'How could I not, when I had such an amazing narrator telling me what was going on.'

She flashed him another of her bright smiles and hastily grabbed the tablet from the nightstand. She was buzzing with excitement. 'We could g- Oh!' She gasped, cutting herself off. 'I forgot!'

'What?' Peter asked. 'What is it?'

'Daddy said I had to go get the nurses if something happened!' She said with an edge of panic. 'I have to go get them now!'

'Wait!' Peter called out as she scrambled off the bed. It was true that he should probably have someone look him over, but without anything resembling a 'help' button in the room that he could see, Morgan would have to leave to find a nurse, and he didn't want that. 'You don't have to go now', Peter said. 'There's nothing wrong with me.'

Morgan looked doubtful. She kept glancing between Peter, the tablet in her hands, and the door. 'I don't know how long I've been out of it, but I'm sure they could wait a couple of minutes more until we've finished the movie.' Peter added, trying to convince her to stay though Morgan still seemed conflicted.

'C'mon', Peter pressed. 'I promise I won't tell mom we used her tablet.' Finally, Morgan's resolve broke and she jumped back onto the bed. He wrapped his arm around her as she tried to find a way to position the tablet on his stomach. The movie started again and Morgan she snuggled closer to Peter's side.

It ended much too soon for his Peter's liking. He managed to convince Morgan to watch until the credits ended, but after that, he didn't have any other excuses to keep her from leaving anymore. He knew he was being childish for trying to have her stay with him instead of doing what she was told. But he didn't know what was going on and right now, the only 'familiar' thing he had was Morgan, and he didn't want to lose that. Morgan must've noticed that he didn't want her to leave. With a determined look on her face, she walked over to the armchair and dug a stuffed toy from her purple backpack. 'It's okay', she said, holding a blue pegasus out to him. 'You don't have to be sad. I always have Rainbowdash with me when I'm alone, and now she's with you, so you won't be alone.' Touched by her kindness, Peter accepted the stuffed toy. Satisfied with her work, Morgan gave him one last smile and hurried away. Being left alone in an unfamiliar room did nothing to calm his nerves and Peter could feel the panic well up the moment she stepped out of the door. With Morgan gone, the room seemed larger than it had before. It was too quiet, way too quiet. Peter groaned as he buried his face in his sister's toy and tried to even his breathing. Please come back soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter blinked as the doctor pulled the bright light away from his eye and scribbled some notes on a tablet. Morgan hadn't returned with the doctor, which made Peter more nervous than he was before. Was she all right? Where were their parents? Shouldn't there be at least one of them here with him?

'That was the last of the physical examinations for now', the doctor, Dr. Buhari, said. He spoke with an accent that Peter couldn't place. 'I'm going to ask you a couple of questions now. Just the basics.'

Peter nodded.

'What's your name?' He asked.

'Uhm, Peter?' Peter said hesitantly.

Dr. Buhari's brows furrowed. 'And your surname?' Peter fidgeted nervously with his duvet. 'I uhm, I don't know.' Peter admitted, looking down at his hands. 'Honestly, I'm not even sure if Peter is my real name. It's what my sister told me.'

'Your sister?'

Peter nodded and looked up. 'Yeah, Morgan.'

'Peter', Dr. Buhari said slowly, there was a concerned glint in his eyes, 'do you remember anything about yourself? Anything from before you woke up? Your family? Friends?' Peter thought about it for a while, but nothing came to mind. He didn't know how, but all his memories seemed to have been wiped clean and the only thing that came up when he tried to remember was a 404-not-found message. He shook his head. 'No, sorry.'

'It's nothing to apologize for', Dr. Buhari said. 'Your name is Peter Parker. You're a sixteen-year-old American Citizen, and you're currently in Wakanda for medical treatment.'

Peter's head shot up. 'Wakanda?' He asked. 'As in Africa? That Wakanda?'

'Yes.' Dr. Buhari Said. 'I understand that this is quite confusing for you at the moment. I'm afraid we'll have to do a couple of tests first to determine the severeness of your amnesia. Don't worry, post-traumatic amnesia is common, but we have to know what we're dealing with right now.'

'Okay.' Peter nodded. Dr. Buhari opened another file on his tablet and started asking questions such as which month and year it was, where Peter was born, and whether he remembered the last events before his accident. Peter found himself growing increasingly nervous and irritated with each question he couldn't answer. Which was all of them.

'We'll move on to a different type of questions now', Dr. Buhari said. 'To see if you have suffered any intellectual damages.'

'Uhm, yeah. Okay.' Peter nodded. He could do this. Probably.

'We'll start easy and move on to harder questions.' Dr. Buhari said and he opened a map of the world on his tablet. 'Could you point out where the United States is on this map?' Peter pointed toward the continent on the left side of the screen. 'Very well. How many states does the US have?'

'Fifty.' Peter answered.

'Correct.' Dr. Buhari said. 'Seven times nine is?'

'Sixty-three.'

'Twelve times a dozen is?'

'One hundred and forty-four.'

'Thirty-three times twenty-five?'

'Eight hundred and twenty-five.' Peter answered immediately, surprising himself.

'Good.' Dr. Buhari nodded. 'The cosine of Pi is?'

'Minus one.'

'What is the lightest element in the periodic table?'

'Hydrogen.'

'When did the invasion of New York take place?'

Peter frowned. Wait, what? He thought. When was New York invaded? 'Is this a trick question?' He asked cautiously. They wouldn't do trick questions in these tests, right? Or maybe they do, to make sure he could tell facts from false information. Dr. Buhari looked up from his tablet. 'Why would you think this is a trick question, Peter?' He asked slowly. Peter looked the doctor in the eyes, searching for signs that the man was trying to trick him. 'I mean', Peter said eventually, 'I don't think New York has had a significant invasion? At least, not one that's important enough that we have to learn in history class. I think. I don't remember having history class, or any other classes really, but how else am I supposed to know all this stuff, right?' Peter chuckled nervously.

'Mr. Parker,' Dr. Buhari said, 'are you saying that you do not remember anything of the Chitauri invasion of 2012?'

'The what?' Peter frowned. 'I'm sorry, I don't think I know what you're talking about.'

'What do you know about extraterrestrial life, Mr. Parker?'

Oh wow, that took a turn. Peter was once again taken aback by the sudden change in subjects. When did this turn into a conspiracy session? 'Uhm, not much, I guess', he answered. 'I mean, the universe is ginormous and it keeps on expanding, so there's no way that we're the only planet with any kind of sentient lifeforms. But I don't know anything about aliens except from movies like ET, star trek, and that one really old movie 'Aliens'. Does that answer the question? Because I'm not sure what this has anything to do with the intelligence test thingy we're doing here.'

Dr. Buhari nodded. 'It's alright. I have one last question for you, Mr. Parker. Does the name Sokovia or The Avengers ring a bell?' Something in the back of his mind tingled at the name Avengers. It felt important somehow, but he didn't know why. 'Avengers sounds familiar,' he answered, 'but I don't remember what it is, sorry.'

'I see.' Dr. Buhari turned off his laptop and stood up from the chair. 'That's it for now. Rest some more, a nurse will come shortly to remove the IVs.'

'Thanks.'

Dr. Buhari nodded once again and made his way to the door.

'Wait', Peter called after him. Dr. Buhari turned. 'Uhm, if it's not too much trouble, could you maybe send Morgan, my sister, back here? I mean, I'd understand if you can't because you're a doctor and you have a lot of things to do, but I'd really appreciate it if you could I don't know maybe at least ask a nurse to find her because I don't know if she should be running around a hospital and-'

'Mister Parker,' Dr. Buhari said with a kind smile, interrupting Peter's rambling. 'It's fine, I know where she is, I'll tell her that you wish to see her.'

Peter relaxed into the pillow supporting him. 'Thank you', he said.

Dr. Buhari smiled again and moved to step out of the room when Peter heard rapid footsteps approaching. A second later, the door burst open and Dr. Buhari took a surprised step back. A man stood at the doorway, gasping for breath. 'Peter!' He called. He was at Peter's bedside in an instant, nearly shoving Dr. Buhari out of the way. 'How do you feel, buddy?' The man asked, and Peter recognized his voice. He was the one who was talking to Morgan earlier, the one she called daddy. 'God, I can't believe you woke up right after Pepper managed to force me to attend a meeting after three months.' The man- his father- said.

'Uhm, Sorry?' Peter said, not knowing what else to say.

'Wha- no.' His father sputtered. 'Don't apologize for waking up from a coma.' He paused, then shook his head disbelievingly with a fond smile. 'Only you, Pete', he said. 'Only you would apologize for something like that.' He leaned forward and pulled Peter into a tight hug. 'You scared the shit out of me, kid', he said, voice thick with worry. 'Don't ever do that again.'

Peter slowly wrapped his arms around his father and melted into the embrace. He felt warm and safe, wrapped in his father's arms. 'I won't, dad', he promised, even though he had no idea what it was that he did. His father abruptly pulled back from the embrace, his eyes wide and so filled with love that it made Peter blush. But the reaction also sent a spike of anxiety down his spine. Did he get it wrong? Oh god, he must look like a complete idiot, calling the man in front of him dad before he knew for sure what their relationship was. But even if he didn't remember who the man was, Peter felt safe around him. That had to mean something, right? Dr. Buhari chose that moment to tap on Peter could-be-father's shoulder. 'Sir, if you could come with me for a moment. I have to inform you of Mr. Parker's condition.'

Peter's maybe-dad straightened and nodded. 'Of course.' He glanced back at Peter with a soft smile. He kissed Peter on his forehead and Peter finally let out the breath he was holding. It wasn't a confirmation, but only father's kissed their sons on their heads, right? 'Rest', His father said gently. 'I'll be right back.' And he joined Dr. Buhari in the hallway, closing the door behind him. Peter laid back down on the bed and wondered what Dr. Buhari would say to his father. To his surprise, Peter could hear what they were saying behind the door without effort. Apparently, the door wasn't soundproof. Or the pair was just talking particularly loud, though that seemed quite inappropriate in a hospital. 'So, doc', his father said, 'tell me everything. Peter seemed normal, that's a good sign, right?'

'Mister Stark', Dr. Buhari said, then paused. Mr. Stark? Peter thought. Not Parker? So they weren't related after all? Or was he Peter's stepfather? Adoptive parent? Peter forced himself to push the thoughts away for the moment and focussed instead on the silence that filled the hallway. It was the kind of silence that came before bad news, the kind in which doctors contemplate how to break it to you. Mr. Stark must've sensed it too. 'Why aren't you saying anything?' He asked. 'Long pauses are not good in these situations, doc.'

'The injuries Mr. Parker sustained from the incident are mostly healed', Dr. Buhari said. 'He will make a full recovery.' Peter heard Mr. Stark let out a breath of relief. 'That's good', he said. 'Good…Why do I feel a 'but' coming up?'

'Mr. Parker is doing fine physically', Dr. Buhari said. 'However, his mental condition is a different matter.' Peter heard Mr. Stark's breath hitch. 'He has amnesia. It seems that he has lost all his memories, including all the information about himself. On the bright side, it does not seem as if his intelligence has taken any damages. He was able to answer most questions I asked, though it appears he does not have any recollection of the Battle of New York, or any Avengers related events.'

'What?'

'Currently, I do not know whether this amnesia is triggered by the trauma Mr. Parker went through, or if the selective memory is caused by the Stones.' Stones? Peter thought. Was he in the hospital because people threw rocks at him? 'The memory loss could also be a result of a combination of both factors', Dr. Buhari continued. 'We will have to keep a close watch on him for the time being.'

'But-' Peter could hear Mr. Stark struggling to formulate a response. 'If he doesn't remember anyone', Mr. Stark said hesitantly, 'why did he call me 'dad'?'

'It appears that Miss Morgan Stark informed him of his name and told him she was her sister', Dr. Buhari said. 'It's possible he heard the two of you converse while he was semi-conscious. He must've drawn his own conclusions from that information.'

'That explains a lot', Mr. Stark said slowly. 'Morgan always liked hearing stories about Peter. He's a brother to her even though they have never met.'

Morgan had never met him? Once again the rug was pulled from under Peter's feet and he could feel his thoughts start to spiral. Peter sat up straight in bed and grabbed his duvet in his fist. Morgan wasn't his sister. The thought hurt. He felt deceived. Morgan was the only constant he had ever since waking up. If Morgan wasn't his sister, if Mr. Stark wasn't his family, then who is? Why was he in a hospital bed in Wakanda of all places? Nothing was making sense and he couldn't remember anything that did. His breathing became faster and shallow. The heart monitor at his bedside was beeping faster and faster. It was driving Peter crazy. He tried to cover his ears to block out the noise, but his hands stuck to the duvet, even after he let them go.

What the- Peter shook his hands up and down, but the duvet still clung to his hands. In a desperate attempt to free his hand, Peter gripped the duvet with one hand and pulled with his other hand, hard. His hand came lose, but it ripped the fabric and feathers came flying out. Nononono- what's going on! Peter was breathing but the air didn't seem to reach his lungs, he was getting dizzy and the edges of his vision were getting dark and the damn machine was still beeping. Peter had to stop the beeping before he completely lost his mind. Without a second thought, Peter pulled out every single cable or tube that was connected to him, which only made it worse because the damned beeping was replaced by a much louder flatline sound. Peter jumped out of bed, half the duvet still clinging onto his right hand. The door immediately burst open and Mr. Stark called out his name just like he did the before, but this time much louder and filled with panic. The man's eyes searched the room until they landed on Peter and he proceeded to check him for injuries. 'You're bleeding.' Mr. Stark said. Peter followed his gaze down to his right arm, and he was right. Blood was flowing down his arm from where he had clumsily pulled out the tubes and it was staining the duvet that, for whatever inexplicable reason, was still sticking to him. The blood and the wound were freaking Peter out even more, but a second later the blood flow suddenly stopped and Peter saw the wound knit itself close without even leaving a scar, which just added to his freak-out because that was not how the human body worked.

What the fuuuuuck' Peter gasped. He looked up from his arm and saw that there were even more people in the room now. Two nurses had come in as well, they stood right behind Mr. Stark and Dr. Buhari. Suddenly, Peter became hyper-aware of how much of a mess he made of the room, with feathers still floating to the ground. 'Oh my god-', he choked. 'I'm so sorry I didn't mean to break anything or make a mess and I don't know what's going on I'm sorry I-' Peter took a step back until his back was pressed against the wall.

'Peter.' Mr. Stark said, his voice firm and steady. 'It's all right. Just calm down.'

'I don't know how!' Peter cried. He tried to lift a hand to run through his hair, but found that his left hand was sticking to the wall. Not again! Peter thought desperately and pulled as hard as he could in an effort to free himself. Surprisingly, he managed to pull his hand free from the wall, or rather, he pulled a chunk of the wall free with his hand.

'I just pulled out a chunk of wall.' He said numbly, still in shock. 'That's not- I'm not supposed to be able to do that!'

'Peter, listen to me.' Mr. Stark said. Peter's head snapped up. 'You have to calm down. Take a deep breath, can you do that for me?'

'I- I don't know.' Peter answered honestly. 'How am I supposed to breathe again?'

'Peter, I'm coming closer, okay?' Mr. Stark said calmly, taking a step toward Peter.

'No!' Peter cried, pressing himself further into the wall. 'Stay back! I don't want to hurt you.'

Mr. Stark held up his hands at Peter's outburst. 'You won't.' Mr. Stark said steadfastly and Peter believed him. The man came closer slowly though still keeping his distance for Peter's sake, quietly announcing everything that he was going to do before he did. Mr. Stark guided Peter through long breath exercises until Peter's lungs no longer felt like they were burning and his muscles stopped trembling. The two of them sank to the ground and Mr. Stark wrapped Peter up in a tight embrace. Peter buried his face in the man's shoulders and he felt the last bit of stress leave his body. The duvet and the piece of wall that clung to Peter's hands fell to the ground. Tears were streaming down his face and he had no idea what just happened, but at that moment, it was alright, because Mr. Stark was holding onto him tightly and he knew that he was safe as long as he had Mr. Stark was there with him.


End file.
